LIHU‘E —Visitors are the island’s “life blood,” said county Director of Economic Development George Costa. With arrivals continuing to decline, one might wonder how well the $1 million visitor industry county stimulus package has worked to keep the island’s tourism
LIHU‘E —Visitors are the island’s “life blood,” said county Director of Economic Development George Costa.
With arrivals continuing to decline, one might wonder how well the $1 million visitor industry county stimulus package has worked to keep the island’s tourism industry from falling on its knees.
“We believe it’s had a positive impact and helped Kaua‘i stay on the map,” said Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sue Kanoho Friday before hopping on a plane to Seattle as part of a “Northwestern blitz” to promote the island.
Only Phase I of the plan has actually gone into effect, she said, and projects didn’t begin until August, which makes it difficult to determine just how much economic activity has been generated thus far.
“Money spent now does not necessarily have an immediate impact the next day — it takes weeks and sometimes months,” Kanoho said.
Earlier this year, when the special funding bill was making its way through the Kaua‘i County Council, Kanoho said while her office typically focuses on broader promotional endeavors — raising awareness of Hawai‘i as a potential vacation destination, increasing desire to travel to Hawai‘i and fostering intent to visit Hawai‘i within 24 months — the stimulus would have the immediate aim of “heads in beds” — conversion of interested parties to actual, physical, cash-carrying visitors.
Costa projected a “conservative” 20 percent differential in room nights produced by five wholesalers or online travel agents, funded by Phase I of the stimulus, that would translate to approximately $7 million over the six-month duration of the plan.
The Kaua‘i County Council largely supported the measure, passing it by a 6-1 vote in May, with first-term Councilwoman Lani Kawahara casting the lone vote in opposition, saying she hoped the island could diversify its economy to avoid a situation where it is completely dependent on one industry for survival.
As part of the stimulus, actress Mitizi Gaynor returned to Kaua‘i for the 50th anniversary celebration of the movie “South Pacific” in which she starred. Set to launch on a one-woman show tour March 2010 called “Razzle Dazzle! My Life Behind the Sequins,” Gaynor stopped by Kaua‘i to talk about her career and experiences filming on island earlier this month.
“The real value of having Mitzi come here was in the publicity and media exposure it generated for Kaua‘i as a destination, especially coming as we entered a traditionally off-peak time of year for visitors,” Kanoho said. “The story was covered by media as widely as anything we have ever promoted since I joined KVB in 1997.”
The cost to taxpayers and Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, around $17,000, to bring Gaynor to the island— including a $10,000 appearance fee, air fare and ground transportation — was “far less” than what she typically charges to make an appearance, Kanoho said.
About 425 people attended “An Afternoon with Mitzi Gaynor” at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort & Beach Club, according to Kanoho, and around 40 percent were visitors.
“We know of at least 20 people from the Mainland who contacted us about coming to Kaua‘i just for this event including some from as far away as New Jersey,” Kanoho said, adding that she personally met two individuals who flew in from Seattle specifically to see Gaynor.
While an accurate estimate of how much money the island produced as a whole for the weekend appearance is not exactly feasible, Kanoho said, but KVB is currently in the process of finalizing all bills and costs.
“The media coverage was worth a lot of money and value that can’t be translated into dollars since collateral occurred everywhere in different types of media,” said President of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce Randall Francisco Friday. “The experience and comments of the attendees at various events said it all.”
Kanoho agreed.
“From a public relations perspective, the return of value for Kaua‘i was tremendous,” she said Friday. “For a very reasonable amount of money, we were able to generate widespread exposure for Kauai that would have cost far more if we had tried to accomplish the same thing through advertising. And that was before Mitzi even arrived or did any media interviews.”
Next on board for Phase I of the county stimulus plan is a $25,000 Seattle and Vancouver “blitz” to encourage residents to travel to Kaua‘i which starts next week.
“Mayor Carvalho is joining us for the blitz and will be taking part in all the consumer and media events, which conveys the importance we are putting into this marketing effort,” Kanoho said. “Because people living in the greater Seattle and Vancouver regions have an affinity for outdoors, nature-based activities, we believe the allure of visiting Kaua‘i will be very well received.”
Phase I of the stimulus plan includes $500,000, of which $250,000 was spent on wholesalers and online travel agent partners like Pleasant Holidays, Expedia and Travelocity. In addition, $170,000 was allotted for a kama‘aina campaign encouraging inter-island travel and spending; $20,000 for a radio remote on Kaua‘i which brought DJs in from Seattle earlier this month to bring their experience back for promotion; $25,000 for the South Pacific 50th Anniversary Celebration; $25,000 on the Northwest Blitz; and $10,000 for a KVB administration fee.
KVB will be briefing Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and the county council toward the end of October or early November with more accurate figures and detailed updates, Kanoho said.
Phase II of the stimulus, which will cover the first six months of 2010, was funded as part of the county’s operating budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year and gives KVB another $500,000.
